For me, moving has always seemed like a bit of a crapshoot. You MIGHT like the neighborhood, you MIGHT like the building, you MIGHT not hate your neighbors, but you’re really jumping into a new living situation blindly. And that’s the problem RentWiki.com hopes to solve.

RentWiki.com recently announced the official launch of its site, which serves to help apartment hunters learn more about rental properties and the culture of different neighborhoods through a social networking community. While the site still lacks a deep level of content for most cities, RentWiki.com has the potential to be a great resource for anyone looking to rent property in a new neighborhood.

The site aims to offer a look at daily life at the neighborhood level in a wiki format via locally contributed content, neighborhood reviews, pros and cons, and renter recommendations. As the site and its content grow, RentWiki.com has promise to become a tool that will help people find an apartment, condo or neighborhood to fit their personal style, taste and financial needs through seeing what people who actually live there have to say about the area.

Time will tell if people jump on this idea and contribute their thoughts to the site–I’m certainly interested to see how the Boston content develops. Would you utilize a resource like this?

SM4SC is an online grassroots movement started by Boston’s Gradon Tripp to rally social media participants and influencers in support of a common cause. We’re all using new media and marketing tools to talk about brands, products, services, business… The focus here is on social change and helping people.

Gradon and the group tell a pretty inspiring story: “SM4SC is powered by the influence that individual people have within their own online communities to work together and make something happen. We’re utilizing the communal nature of the Internet, which can cause a YouTube video or blog post to reach millions, to raise money for crucially important charities and help fix real-world problems.” Pretty refreshing stuff, don’t you think?

The group is hosting its first fundraiser event on October 10 to benefit Jane Doe, Inc. It looks like there are a few tickets left, so move fast if you want to attend.

How will you help?

One of those changes is that I’m not letting myself order delivery and takeout every day anymore. It’s easy, it’s comfortable, it’s familiar–but it’s an expensive and calorie-filled habit that isn’t helping me reach any fitness goals. The solution? I have to prepare some of my own meals. Ummm, easier said than done, Amanda.

I have no idea how to make food. I can use a microwave and I can open pints of sherbet. It’s a very special day if I make an omelette. But that’s the extent of my skills. The thought of having to prepare my own food is daunting to say the least. But I’ve found some helpful resources out there on the social web that I’ll be playing with as I explore the many unfamiliar appliances and utensils in my kitchen.

Zeer is a resource to help nutritards like me learn more about what you’re buying at the store, and what you’re putting in your body. The site’s community feature enables members to share advice and information about various food products related to specific lifestyles or grub preferences. You can also browse through huge lists of products to find better or tastier choices for yourself. This is a valuable tool: Zeer helps you shop smarter so you can eat better.

Tasty Planner seems like exactly what I need. This site allows you to search for new recipes based on keywords or choices from a tag cloud, and has Recipe Box and Weekly Planner functions to help you along the way. Once you find a recipe you like, you can add it to your Recipe Box so that it’s saved, and you can go a step further by adding it to a Weekly Planner that helps you outline your meals and nutrition for the week. For someone who hasn’t planned a meal in her life, Tasty Planner seems like a great, easy way to get a healthy diet underway.

SuperCook is an interesting concept. You enter what foods you already have in your kitchen, and the site will generate recipes for you based on those ingredients. For someone who really has no creative cooking skills to fall back on, and for someone who is pretty lazy when it comes to trekking out to the grocery store on the train (it’s so hard to get your grocery shopping done without a car!), this resource may come in handy. It’s sort of like a Top Chef challenge without having to think about anything.

Cookthink is all about cravings, which can be a girl’s worst enemy. This site lets you find recipes that may satisfy your various cravings, and you can search by entering a keyword, choosing an ingredient, picking a dish, selecting a cuisine, or focusing on a mood. Based on the cravings you enter, Cookthink gives you a list of recipes that will probably make your tummy growl and send you running to the kitchen.

FoodFeed is a strange creature. It’s like Twitter for eating. The premise is simple: you make updates to the site about what you’re having to eat and you can search for other users who have having the same thing. On the About page, the site claims that it isn’t really useful, but on some level I disagree. There’s a lot to be said about regularly, honestly, and publicly announcing what you’re eating, and that may drive you to make healthier choices so you aren’t forced to reveal that you’re having 2 Big Macs per day.

Have you tried any of these Food 2.0 sites? What are your thoughts? Are you hungry yet???

But… I figured, why not reach out and see if any PR pros or people approached by PR pros out there have nuggets of wisdom to share.  With improving understanding and ongoing education in mind, what would you want to make sure your new hire had on a PR 2.0 one-pager?  Maybe it’s an example of what not to do, or a tip on how to leverage LinkedIn.  Maybe it’s a blog tracking tool, or what you consider the simplest RSS feed reader for newbies.

I think it would be cool to compile a list of quotes from people who can share advice, encouragement, examples or opinions that I’ll then pass on to the SHIFTers and my Social Honeycomb readers.  I’m sure I’ll dig up some gems from PR Squared, PR 2.0 and various other PR/marketing/communications blogs, but I figured I’d open the door and invite you to chime in here.

Your 2 cents.  Spill it.

So, can you help me fix up my Google Reader?  Should your blog be in there?  I’m interested in reading pearls of wisdom from blogs about social media, social networking, Web 2.0, public relations, marketing, mobile/wireless, hot products, geekery, good advice, fun events to attend, etc.

I definitely have some excellent blogs in my reader already, like PR-Squared, Chris Brogan, Web Strategy by Jeremiah and SheGeeks, but maybe you fit in there too or maybe you have a list of blogs you think I’d like.  I want my reader to be so packed full of brilliance that I don’t know what to do with myself.

Can you help?

A PR professional from an agency elsewhere in the United States sent me a pitch over email for the blog. It, um, wasn’t a great pitch. The subject line was a bit confusing. She let me know she liked one of my recent blog posts but then copied and pasted some stuff from a press release that had nothing to do with what she said she liked and also nothing to do with things I write and care about. There was a big typo in there somewhere. It just wasn’t a good pitch for me.

Because I’m a PR kid and a blogger at the same time, this pitch made me upset for two different reasons. As a blogger, it was a little upsetting to receive a pitch so off the mark. As a PR pro, it was upsetting to see someone sending out pitches like this one and know she’s probably not just sending it to me. It worried me that another public relations practitioner was running the risk of getting blasted on some blog for sending spam-like and lazy emails.

I called her up.

I told her who I was and said I had gotten her email. I let her know that as a fellow PR person, I wanted to call and talk about what may have worked better for pitching me. We ended up having a great conversation about the how difficult it is to always make the right decisions when reaching out to bloggers and we discussed some better approaches. I let her know that with me, if I’m on an outreach list, but she isn’t totally sure that her news is a puzzle-piece fit for me and my blog, to just say so and be honest. I told her not to waste any minutes of her busy day writing out a big flowery pitch and including paragraphs of information. Just tell me honestly why you’re reaching out, let me know what the news is and give me a few short bullet points with things like links so I can find out more before I write back. I stressed that while this is a good approach for me, it might not work for everyone, and it’s important to remember that. It’s a good idea to reach out to bloggers you want to befriend and ask them how they’d like to be pitched (if at all) and what types of things they are open to receiving.

The thing that makes my experience interesting is that this PR pro was really appreciative of my call. It’s so rare to receive constructive feedback in this business, so I think we both hung up feeling a little better. I wasn’t angry, I wasn’t threatening. It’s important to me that PR professionals improve their skills and understanding when it comes to social media. This was just one little way I felt I could help someone and by extension, the profession.

Here’s my call to action. We all get pitches we think are less than awesome, but so many people either ignore them or humiliate the person who sent them. Once in a while, give some constructive feedback. Remember that this person probably doesn’t want to annoy or offend you–they’re still learning how to respectfully and effectively reach out in this changing media landscape, and sometimes they need some pointers. Be pissed off for a minute, but then spend a minute thinking of how this PR person could have done a better job or how they could better approach you in the future. The profession as a whole will have an easier time improving and moving forward with a little guidance and a bit of feedback. You may be surprised at the difference it makes.

As it’s been discussed here, here, here and here, Louis Vuitton is suing 26 year-old Danish artist Nadia Plesner for using an image very similar to one of their monogram totes in an anti-genocide campaign to support Darfur. This is a tough one, buddies–there’s some cognitive dissonance going on here. I instinctively think first, “Eww, why is LV being so heartless and money-hungry about this? Darfur needs our help, and instead of freaking out, they could be finding a way to meaningfully contribute to the cause, even if they were dragged into it.” But at the same time, my instincts say, “I see where your head’s at, LV. Protect your brand–you go and take her down for clearly exploiting your image.” I admit, I love luxury handbags, but my gut ultimately goes with my first response.

The image on Nadia’s “Simple Living” t-shirt and poster (a jab at Paris Hilton’s reality show The Simple Life), pictured at the right, depicts a naked African child holding a Tinkerbell-like chihuahua and what is very obviously her take on a white/monogram multicolore Louis Vuitton handbag. Her description of the illustration reads (eloquently unedited):

My illustration Simple Living is an idea inspired by the medias constant cover of completely meaningless things. My thought was: Since doing nothing but wearing designerbags and small ugly dogs appearantly is enough to get you on a magasine cover, maybe it is worth a try for people who actually deserves and needs attention.

Without this glaringly negative comment, perhaps Louis Vuitton wouldn’t have gotten so bent out of shape over the image. But, I can see why they did. She’s essentially equating the LV brand (and chihuahuas?) with meaninglessness and media whoredom–not the prettiest epithets.

On Nadia’s site, there are plenty of supporters telling her to keep fighting the lawsuit and to continue standing up for herself because ultimately, her goal is a good one. And, it really is. One hundred percent of the money she makes from t-shirt sales goes to the Divest for Darfur fund.

So, does the end justify the means? Maybe.

I think Louis Vuitton, although perhaps within their rights, should have approached this differently. Yeah, at this point it looks like LV essentially got mugged and someone ran off with their handbag. However, with a different approach this could have been brand sharing instead of brand stealing. Like letting a friend borrow your bag because it went perfectly with her outfit. It’s still yours, but you’ll let her use it because in the end, everyone looks hot.

I wish Louis Vuitton had proactively done something to counter Nadia’s negative picture of the brand. Had they publicly shown where they’ve been a socially responsible company or, even better, struck a deal with her to donate a “meaningful” amount of money to her campaign, they may have avoided some of this media messiness. Given all the legal fees, taking that money and donating it to Darfur would probably have cost the company less and resulted in good press.

Louis Vuitton also could have created a place for people to talk about the situation to engage their various publics in a conversation about luxury brands, genocide, charity and anything in between. Just throwing out a lawsuit in this situation really wasn’t the sexiest choice. I think it’ll be hard for LV to rally support on this one. Either they’ll lose (which seems to be the more likely outcome) and be the brand that wanted to sue the girl trying to save Darfur, or they’ll win and be the brand that sued the girl trying to save Darfur. When the health and integrity of the brand is the important issue here, I think dropping the suit and redirecting their energy in a more helpful way would serve Louis Vuitton better in the long term.

I know this isn’t exactly breaking news, but what do you think? Is Louis Vuitton going overboard? Are they right on target? Should chihuahua breeders sue Nadia Plesner, too? If you have any takeaway thoughts, I’d love to see some reactions, ideas or new solutions in the comments section.

In other news, I got a new handbag today. And no, it’s not a Louis Vuitton. (It’s Burberry, *sigh, so pretty.*) Watch for a Today’s Honey post with a photo or two. You know you can’t wait. And don’t even think about mugging me. You think a lawsuit is bad? I’ll cut you.

Susan Reynolds saw my happiness thread a couple weeks ago and requested that I write a post about the suggestions people had for me on how to feel happier each day. Here are my favorite responses:

@shonnoll says exercise

@thattalldude says listen to happy music

@mindchaotica and @linkedmn say to remember that things could always be worse

@cambeck says to become Joseph Jaffe

@iAlbert says to take a walk and be around nature

@geoffliving says happiness is an inside, spiritual job that external things can’t determine

@vanhoosear says learn to accept and let go

@podcastmama says to be kind to yourself, allow yourself to change your mind and get enough rest

@Paisano says to help people every day, engage in random acts of kindness and take naps

@jackvinson says to make a gratitude list

Building relationships and cultivating communities is central to our jobs as PR professionals and social media evangelists, and sometimes we get to see the strength of these social groups in ways that truly show how meaningful this stuff can be. Being a real person is SO important on the social Web. Asking, helping, advising, suggesting, being there for others. For me, I’m finding that being real and being happy go hand in hand.

If you have any suggestions of how to be happier, please post them in the comments section. Maybe we’ll all find some new ways to feel happier day-to-day.

I recently came across a campaign by Haagen Dazs called Help the Honey Bees. This didn’t sound like your typical awareness campaign so I poked around the site a little. Apparently there are a lot of forces working against honey bees, and this in turn affects many of the foods we eat, including, of course, my guilty pleasure of choice–ice cream.

A few interesting facts from the Help the Honey Bees press kit:

• Honey bees are responsible for the pollination of more than 100 crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, providing 80 percent of the country’s pollination services
• Honey bee pollination directly results in about $15 billion worth of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and agricultural seeds annually in the U.S. That does not include the role that honey bee pollination plays in providing the seeds that are planted for forage (alfalfa and clover, etc.) that are eaten by our livestock and end up on our plates as meat, or as dairy products

I never knew honey bees were so important! This Haagen Dazs micro-site represents an interesting cause marketing/PR campaign for an issue most people probably never think about. You can easily learn about the bee crisis, see what’s being done, find out how you can help and play around with some fun bee-themed features at the same time. This awareness-raising campaign seems genuine, and positions Haagen Dazs as environmentally-minded and responsible beyond the brand just wanting to sell more tubs of ice cream. …Mmm, ice cream…

Even if you hate ice cream and don’t care if the foods you enjoy are ruined by the plight affecting honey bees, you may enjoy the whimsical “Make a Bee” section of the site. It’s reminiscent of the Become an M&M campaign, where you can customize a honey bee and send it through “bee-mail” to a friend.

I think this is an interesting cause-related PR campaign. So get out there, buy some ice cream and save some honey bees. …Mmm, honey…

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Boston Public School teacher Gabriel Mugar, who is the founder of Press Pass TV, a group started in 2004 to work with local middle and high school students on the production of civic-minded video journalism.

The idea behind PPTV is to promote positive community identity and engagement in both the viewers and the student producers. These local kids are using their talents to communicate with the world around them in new and positive ways. I think Gabriel’s group is inspiring and very much in line with my view of creating a stronger, brighter, fuller future in the communities we find around us.

So, how did PPTV start?

I started volunteering in an after school program in Roxbury in 2004, helping out with a fledgling video production program. During this time I got to know the students and learned about the many challenges in their lives. One of the things that bothered me more than anything was that, on top of these daily challenges, the local news and entertainment media did not provide much hope or inspiration to overcome these challenges. As I got more involved with the community, it became very clear that the news media was overlooking all of the individuals, initiatives and organizations doing incredible things here. I thought that it would be nice to inject some positive content into the local news spectrum, something that made people feel better about the community they live in.

Let’s talk about creating and building futures. What are your hopes and goals for the students involved with PPTV?

My hope is that the students become more aware of all of the great things going on in their community and hopefully inspire their viewers to get involved in civic activities. On a more practical level, the goal of the program is to empower students with the skills needed to produce their own video news stories. Although the program is currently only within Boston, my goal is to have this expand to a nationwide network (or create a network between existing groups across the country so that they are producing similar content). The hope is that so much positive content is produced that it counteracts the stifling effects of negative reporting on local communities.

How are your students using their involvement in the program to further their own futures?

One student is going to Emerson College, and others would like to attend college for communications. Some are doing two years at community college with hopes of transferring to a solid four year communications program. One success story that comes to mind is that one of my students became so proficient in Final Cut Pro that he taught college students and a new hire at a local network station how to use the program. It’s been four years now–I’ve worked with more than 100 students, produced more than 40 stories and am about to release the fourth 30-minute show.

I know the program thrives on volunteer support, so how can my readers become involved?

If your local readers have basic video journalism production skills (and I mean basic, i.e. know how to frame a shot), they could volunteer to produce a news segment with a few students. Equipment is provided, along with support from myself. Your readers can also help out by letting others know about the program and the volunteer opportunities, which they can learn more about on our Team Advisor page.

If you’re inspired by Gabriel and his Press Pass TV initiative, I encourage you to check out ways to become involved, as well as the content the students have been creating. I am looking forward to seeing these students develop the program and use new media tools to inspire and communicate with their viewers. It’s great to see kids building on interests and talents to bring something new to the table when it comes to media, news and content creation.